The Snow Queen
by Mona
Summary: Rated T for violence and language. A Gargoyles-style retelling of the fate of one of Oberon's Children.


"The Snow Queen"

A belated birthday present to Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)

Disclaimer: Do not own any characters from Disney's Gargoyles, they are © Disney and Greg Weisman.

The Third Race was unique among species. They were pure magic. While immortal, it was possible for them to die: either through consuming too much magical energy or overexposure to iron. Their reproduction was unique: some fairies were born through exchange of genetic material. Others were born from Avalon itself. For example, Raven was born when sunlight struck a raven standing on Avalon's tallest tree. The radiant energy of the sun combined with the mystical energy of the tree transformed the raven into a new fay identity. All fairies begin life as tiny babies. Even the mighty Oberon was once a bundle in Queen Mab's arms.

Eventually, Oberon grew up. Shortly after his marriage to Titania, they touched the same block of ice. Out of this union came the fairy known as the Snow Queen. Titania was delighted with the child. Oberon agreed to let Titania have the baby – provided he could decree that no mortal would ever marry the Snow Queen. Titania agreed, never foreseeing the events ahead. For all their magic, the Third Race cannot see the future.

In 995, Oberon banished the Third Race from Avalon. The Snow Queen left with the others. Her ice floe landed on the banks of the Danube River. (Strauss was wrong – it's not blue, it's brown.) She made her home on the Alps in what is now Switzerland.

A clan of mountain-dwelling goblin-like creatures gave her a proposal. "Give us your thousand years, and we shall serve you." Seeing no alternative, the fay agreed. The goblins immediately built a stunning castle made of ice, complete with towers and a crystal roof.

The mountain folk heard of the beautiful fay in their midst and flocked to see her, not understanding that she could not interfere with their affairs.

Seated on her throne of crystal, the Queen was certainly beautiful. Still young in fairy years, her skin was milky white with a tinge of blue – presumably from the cold. Her complexion was clear, being free of human nuisances like acne. Her dress was long and white, and glittered as if it were made of ice crystals. The fairy's long brown hair spilled down her back and was held in place with a tiara of diamonds. Despite being a different species, every man who gazed upon her fell instantly in love and swore to marry her. She told each suitor about Oberon's decree, but they came anyway, hoping to persuade her. The instant a man would ask for her hand in marriage, the goblins would surround him and shove him into a bottomless abyss. The Queen would watch, her cold heart unable to feel any emotion.

The legend of the ice palace and its heartless princess spread to a distant alpine valley. A young chamois hunter named Rudolph, nicknamed Rudy, decided to investigate. He climbed the mountains, journeying forward. More than once he'd lose hope but the thought of the lovely woman gave him strength. Finally he reached the palace.

Rudy was allowed into the castle. He numbly proceeded through the halls, bow and arrow in hand. The man stepped into the lit throne room and beheld the Snow Queen. _All the legends_, he thought. _Failed to approximate that beauty. _Awed, he was unable to speak. Seeing the shocked expression of the queen at the iron-tipped arrow, he laid the weapon down and knelt in admiration.

The fairy watched him silently, thinking that as long as he didn't propose marriage, there was no need to call the goblins. In the years she had spent on the mountaintop, this was the first suitor she had gotten a good look at. She could tell he was different: he was younger and more handsome than the others were. Her curiosity grew until she stood up and approached the man. "Who are you?"

The shy hunter stammered. "I-I-am…Rude…"

"Rude? You seem more polite than the others who've been barging in here."

"Rudolph! My name's Rudolph." Rudy looked at her quizzically. "Others?"

"The men who came before. They all wanted me. But you don't."

_I do, but my mouth won't follow my mind. _The hunter touched the Queen's hand, his body warmth seeping into her skin.

To her shock, the fay was touched by his behavior. As the days passed, she realized she was becoming fond of him. _Impossible! Mortals are fickle and silly! _She never admitted, not even to herself, that should like to marry the young man. Oberon, the King of the Third Race, seemed a distant memory.

Meanwhile, the goblins had been keeping watch over their mistress.

"He loves her. It is apparent in every movement."

"Except his words."

"She likes him too!"

" How could she!"

"Aww, they're young and they're in love!"

"Oh, shut up, Giroldus!"

"But what are we gonna do! She's not going to give the order."

The Head Goblin interrupted. "She doesn't own us. And she's breaking her bargain!" I'll speak with her personally." He wandered through the walls until he found the Queen alone. "This stopped being funny a long time ago." No response. "You know you're forbidden to meddle with mortals, and to consort with one IS meddling!" Still no answer. "Do you want the wrath of your father Oberon crashing down on our heads!" Silence. "We'll do it, you know. Just you wait."

The fairy worried about the threat, but decided the goblins were bluffing. After all, Rudy would never overcome his shyness and ask her to marry him.

Several nights later, the Queen retired to bed. (Despite being completely composed of mystical energy, the Third Race still needed rest.) No sooner than she had drifted off to sleep than she awoke with a jolt of pain. She opened her eyes and realized her wrists were cuffed with iron chains. A group of the minions surrounded her bed. Together, the monsters dragged the hapless fay to her window, where another group had dragged Rudy to the edge of a cliff. Unable to stop them, the Snow Queen watched from her window. Her ice blue eyes met his dark ones as a look of pain and betrayal crossed his face.

Then he fell.

Something in the Queen snapped as her heart of ice melted. The goblins unhooked the chains. As soon as the iron was lifted, the fairy turned on them. Flashes of glowing light blinded the creatures as mystical energy seared them. Each became a heap of ash, which melted the snow floor. The fay teleported into the blackness of the abyss, but could see nothing – save for the incoherent and screaming voices of the suitors that had fallen before. Returning to the surface, something warm and stinging came to her eye. A single tear – the first she had ever shed – fell to the snow and became a tiny silvery star. This was the first edelweiss, the flower that grows only on the highest peaks of the Alps – between precipice and abyss.

The fairy turned and removed her crown of diamonds and tossed it into the dark pit…

XXXX

(Copenhagen, December 12, 1830)

"You expect me to believe this?" Hans Christian Andersen asked the woman sitting across from him. They were in a small coffeeshop, the passerbys too wrapped up in their own worlds to eavesdrop.

"Believe what you want," his companion replied. She was a woman with brown hair, peach skin, an 1830s dress, and a gold heart-shaped locket. "The Third Race is forbidden to interfere in human affairs. I'm surprised I was even allowed to speak with you, albeit in this human guise."

"Lady Fortune, may I be frank? Why did you trust me?"

"I've seen lots of mortals over the centuries, and not one of them possesses as much imagination as you. You have a gift, Hans. You're the only one who will treat my story as it is: a fairy tale."

"May I see your true form?"

"No. I cannot reveal myself. Not now. Not here." She rose. "Just know that love is more powerful than any magic." She crossed to the door and threw it open before walking into the snow.

For a second, Hans could see a woman clothed all in white, with long brown hair topped by a woven crown of edelweiss…

The End


End file.
